NFL Playoffs 2011: Power Ranking Divisional Round Running Backs

NFL playoffs 2011 may have a collection of outstanding signal callers, but the collection of running backs aren't bad either.

As much as the NFL is a (terribly clichéd) "copycat league," there are several different approaches to the running game in this year's Elite Eight. 

The tandem backfield is one style.

The power backfield is another.

And the versatile pass-catching back is yet another.

So which team had the best ground game option?

No. 8: James Starks/Brandon Jackson, Green Bay Packers

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PHILADELPHIA, PA - JANUARY 09: James Starks #44 of the Green Bay Packers is tackled by Moise Fokou #53 of the Philadelphia Eagles during the 2011 NFC wild card playoff game at Lincoln Financial Field on January 9, 2011 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Ph

Starks: 52 carries, 224 yards; 4 catches, 24 yards

Jackson: 193 carries, 713 yards, 3 TD; 45 catches, 369 yards, 2 TD

Prior to this season, Starks and Jackson were virtual unknowns. And neither man turned in anything close to a Pro Bowl season in 2010. 

But last week against the Eagles, they both showed flashes of tremendous promise. 

By now, everyone knows how great Starks was in the Wild Card win, rushing for 123 yards on 23 carries. But let's not yet declare him the next Chris Johnson. Remember Zack Crockett.....EXACTLY, you don't!

Lost in Starks great game was a great touchdown catch and run by Jackson, who had a great game in the near upset of the Patriots. 

Much more so than in the Week 12 matchup, Starks and Jackson will garner a ton of attention on Saturday evening in the Georgia Dome. 

No. 7: Marshawn Lynch/Justin Forsett, Seattle Seahawks

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SEATTLE, WA - JANUARY 08: Running back Marshawn Lynch #24 of the Seattle Seahawks runs for a 67-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter against Jabari Greer #33 of the New Orleans Saints during the 2011 NFC wild-card playoff game at Qwest Field on Janua

Forsett: 122 carries, 543 yards, 2 TD; 35 catches, 264 yards

Lynch: 221 carries, 868 yards, 7 TD; 22 catches, 145 yards

The run by Lynch is now part of NFL and Seattle sports lore, but had it not been for the the horrific tackling on that play by the Saints, it would have been a great run instead of a historic one. Prior to the 67-yard game-clinching score, he had 16 carries for 58 yards. 

Still, Lynch has strung together a few good games in his short stay in Seattle. In the play-in win against the Rams, he had 20 rushes for 75 yards and scored a critical fourth-quarter touchdown in his Seahawks debut, which happened to be in a win over the Bears. 

Forsett didn't set the league afire prior to or after Lynch's arrival, but he is a reliable ball carrier—he hasn't fumbled the ball despite nearly 150 touches this season. 

Nevertheless, the Seahawks running game was second worst in the NFL.  

No. 6: Matt Forte/Chester Taylor, Chicago Bears

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CHICAGO, IL - DECEMBER 26: Matt Forte #22 of the Chicago Bears runs against the New York Jets at Soldier Field on December 26, 2010 in Chicago, Illinois. The Bears defeated the Jets 38-34. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

Forte: 237 carries, 1,069 yards, 6 TD; 51 catches, 547 yards, 3 TD

Taylor: 112 carries, 267 yards, 3 TD; 20 catches, 139 yards

Even if he plays in Mike Martz's offense, Forte has a long way to proving he's worthy of any comparisons to Marshall Faulk. But he did have a fine season in 2010. 

He's shown an ability to notch 20-plus carries (three times this year) in addition to his value to the passing game. 

Taylor, on the other hand, has not been nearly as productive in the Windy City as he was in the Twin Cities. But he remains capable of contributing on third down, the down in which the Bears converted less than one-third of the time (27th in the NFL).

The Seahawks have one of the worst run defenses in the NFL, so Forte and Taylor figure to have a nice game. Problem is they didn't the last time they met. In Week 6, they totaled just 61 yards on the ground. And not surprisingly, the Bears failed to convert third downs on all 12 occasions that day. 

No. 5: BenJarvus Green-Ellis/Danny Woodhead, New England Patriots

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FOXBORO, MA - SEPTEMBER 26: BenJarvus Green-Elllis #42 of the New England Patriots celebrates his touchdown with teammates Sammy Morris #34 and Danny Woodhead #39 in the second half against the Buffalo Bills at Gillette Stadium in the second half on Septe

Green-Ellis: 229 carries, 1,008 yards, 13 TD; 12 catches, 85 yards

Woodhead: 97 carries, 547 yards, 5 TD; 34 catches, 379 yards, 1 TD

In typical Bill Belichick fashion, the New England Patriots have put together an economical, yet supremely effective game plan when it comes to the running back position.

They have two relatively cheap running backs, both of whom didn''t even cost a draft pick, that together rushed for over 1,500 yards and produced 19 touchdowns. 

Woodhead is a great story and an excellent option for Tom Brady out of the backfield, but Green-Ellis is the true feature back. (If he leaves town as a free agent next year, we'll see just how much of a feature back he can be without Tom Brady.)

Together, the undrafted duo has been a great tandem that takes much of the pressure off Brady and is a major reason why the Pats won the AFC's top seed.  

No. 4: LaDainian Tomlinson/Shonn Greene, New York Jets

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EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - OCTOBER 31: LaDainian Tomlinson #21 of the New York Jets runs with the ball during a game against the Green Bay Packers on October 31, 2010 at the New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Packers defeated the Je

Tomlinson: 235 carries, 996 yards, 8 TD; 56 catches, 385 yards

Greene: 204 carries, 836 yards, 2 TD; 16 catches, 120 yards

Both backs started out great, but somewhat limped to the 2010 regular season finish line. After they both turned out 100-yard games in Week 4 against the Bills (the worst run defense in the NFL), neither one topped triple digits. 

But that didn't seem to matter last Saturday night against the Colts, as they combined for 35 carries, 152 yards and two touchdowns. 

More so than any other backfield duo in this year's playoffs, Tomlinson and Greene do a great job and keep one another fresh.

And although in a short career Greene has the better postseason resume (two great games last year in the playoffs), Tomlinson will be slightly more vital on Sunday against the Patriots.

For one, he'd like to get some revenge against the "classless" Patriots team that beat him in the 2007 playoffs. But his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield will be a vital bailout for Mark Sanchez when the Patriots send more than the Jets can block. 

No. 3: Michael Turner, Atlanta Falcons

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ATLANTA, GA - DECEMBER 27: Michael Turner #33 of the Atlanta Falcons rushes upfield during the first half of the game against the New Orleans Saints at the Georgia Dome on December 27, 2010 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Turner: 334 carries, 1,371 yards, 12 TD; 12 catches, 85 yards

Turner led the NFC in rushing this season, and he is getting closer and closer to becoming one of the NFL's elite backs. The blend of size and speed is uncanny.

And the Packers will have a tall task before them Saturday night; they couldn't slow Turner down in Week 12 when he rushed for 110 yards and a go-ahead fourth-quarter touchdown on 23 carries. 

But he isn't the top back remaining in the playoffs. 

Turner has benefited from the presence of Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez, two of the game's top pass catchers. And he did fumble at a critical time in the Falcons' lone home loss against the Saints. 

Again, no one is saying that Turner isn't a great runner. But there are two slightly better in this year's Elite Eight. 

No. 2: Rashard Mendenhall, Pittsburgh Steelers

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CLEVELAND, OH - JANUARY 02: Runningback Rashard Mendenhall #34 of the Pittsburgh Steelers runs the ball against the Cleveland Browns at Cleveland Browns Stadium on January 2, 2011 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Matt Sullivan/Getty Images)

Mendenhall: 324 carries, 1,273 yards, 13 TD; 23 catches, 167 yards

In the second half of the season, the Steelers feature back only had one 100-yard game. And it came against the NFL's worst run defense (Buffalo) in a tight overtime affair. 

He did rush for 99 yards against a tough Jets defense, and he has become a safe bet to carry the ball 20 times each week. 

But it's what Mendehall did in the first month of the season that earns him the silver medal on this list. 

With Ben Roethlisberger suspended from Week 1 through Week 5, teams knew that Mendenhall was the main threat in the Steelers offense. Dennis Dixon and Charlie Batch didn't strike much fear into the hearts of defensive coordinators. 

Still, Mendenhall averaged 22 carries, 102 yards and a touchdown during that difficult four-game stretch without Roethlisberger. 

Since then, Roethlisberger has resumed his spot as the team's offensive star, but Mendenhall has proven himself a top-notch back whenever he touches the ball. 

No. 1: Ray Rice, Baltimore Ravens

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KANSAS CITY, MO - JANUARY 09: Running back Ray Rice #27 of the Baltimore Ravens runs with the ball against the Kansas City Chiefs in the second quarter of their 2011 AFC wild card playoff game at Arrowhead Stadium on January 9, 2011 in Kansas City, Misso

Rice: 324 carries, 1,277 yards, 5 TD; 68 catches, 598 yards 2 TD

Rice's numbers carrying the ball aren't as impressive as Mendehall's or Turner's. And last week it was his quarterback, Joe Flacco, who earned more offensive praise in the Ravens 30-7 thumping of the Kansas City Chiefs. 

But aside from Arian Foster and Jamaal Charles, Rice might have had the most impressive year of any running back.

Rice's 1,776 yards from scrimmage were third best in the NFL, and his 63 catches were only one fewer than Anquan Boldin, who led the team in receptions. 

Holding on to the ball is incredibly important for a running back in the postseason, when turnovers usually mean the difference between a win and a loss. Rice has touched the ball 392 times this year and never fumbled once....not lost a fumble, fumbled.